Nasty, abusive, fiery. The adjectives you presume are usually not pleasant when you type the words ‘fast’ and ‘bowler’ next to each other. Some even label them as ‘dumb’, or people with short fuses. When it comes to the captaincy, the tribe is always ignored, and a batter is usually favoured to do the job as they are perceived to be calmer, more intelligent.
A more logical explanation about why fast bowlers are usually not made captains is, they already have so much on their plate physically. Adding the responsibility of field placements, rotation of bowlers, choice of roller, addressing the media before or after a win or loss etc, becomes a needless distraction.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins, Test captains of India and Australia respectively, have bucked that trend. They do not abuse or sledge batters while bowling. They also give the impression of being deeply cerebral and they look forward to challenges of leadership.
“I love responsibility, I wanted to do the tough job since I was a child,” Bumrah, who also led India in a Test at Edgbaston against England when skipper Rohit Sharma tested positive for Covid-19, said while addressing the media. “You always want to be in the thick of things, you want to be thrown against tough scenarios, and this is another one that adds a new challenge to me.”
Cummins took over from Tim Paine following a sexting scandal in the 2021-2022 Ashes series and is more experienced, having led Australia in 28 Tests.
Reminded that it is only the third instance of two premier fast bowlers captaining their respective countries after Wasim Akram (Pakistan) and Courtney Walsh (West Indies) did it in 1997 and Cummins and Tim Southee (NZ) did it last summer, Cummins said, “I don’t think it really changes too much again, but it’s one of those rare things. Looking forward to seeing, hopefully from the changeroom, how he (Bumrah) goes about his work out there. But as a fan of fast bowling, it’s always good to see,” he added and revealed that it took him about 10 Tests to find his footing in the dual role as pacer and captain.
Bumrah reciprocated Cummins’ sentiment. “I obviously have been a fan of bowlers and fast bowling, which is why I chose to be a bowler,” Bumrah said. “I feel that physically it’s a lot more draining to bowl, but tactically bowlers are quite smart as well. There’re many examples in the past, in Australia and India. We had Kapil Dev. Pat has done a phenomenal job, and he’s got a lot of success for Australia. Hopefully, it’s the start of a new tradition and many more players will follow that,” he stated.
Bumrah carried the torch more forthrightly for his tribe and said bowlers as captains can be successful because they are more precise with their planning. “Bowlers do a lot more research and are more data driven than batters.”
When quizzed about his lack of experience in the job though, Bumrah fired back, “Nobody is born with experience. If that self-belief is there, that’s what matters.”
Having played under successful skippers like MS Dhoni (whiteball cricket), Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Bumrah feels there is no need to have a set template or follow his predecessors.
Don’t look at captaincy as a post but responsibility: Jasprit Bumrah
“You must find your own way and you can’t blindly copy anyone. Virat and Rohit have been successful and have got results, but my way is not to follow a copybook plan. Even when I’m bowling, I go with my instincts and that’s how I have always played my cricket,” Bumrah stressed.
Allaying fears about overbowling himself as he is leading an inexperienced attack, Bumrah stated, “I look at it differently. I can manage myself the best when I am captain. I know when I am fresh and I know when I need to push myself, and I know when I must take extra responsibility.”
Cummins, who has a more senior leadership group around him, felt, “The question is always just are you bowling too much or not enough? It’s gut feel. Speak to some other people out there and come up with a decision.”